All of a Sudden, Ron Paul's Idea is Popular (On Both Sides of the Aisle)

From the Inbox:

Dear Friends,

As we reflect on President Obama's first 100 days in office, the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street and the just passed budget, a staggering $3.4 trillion boondoggle, I wanted to share some good news with you.

I write, H.R. 1207, my bill to audit the Federal Reserve, currently has 110 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. This piece of legislation is perhaps the most important of my career, and I thank you for your continued support in sending me back to Congress to fight for it.

A broad coalition of Representatives has joined with me in supporting your right to transparency at the Fed. For example, Rep. Tom Price (GA), head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA), former head of the liberal Progressive Caucus, have both cosponsored the bill. Americans from all over the political spectrum are demanding an audit of the Federal Reserve. And with good reason!

Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has operated without sufficient transparency or accountability to the American people. In fact, current law specifically excludes the Fed from audit or real congressional oversight. No government agency has such an utter lack of sunshine.

The Federal Reserve has created and dispersed trillions of dollars in response to our current financial crisis. Of course, I am among the most outspoken critics of the bailouts, but Americans across the nation, regardless of their opinion of the TARP program, want to know where that money has gone and exactly how much has been spent.

H.R. 1207 will open up the Fed's funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, Term Securities Lending Facility, and Term Asset-Backed Securities Lending Facility to Congressional oversight.

Additionally, audits could include discount window operations, open market operations, and agreements with foreign central banks, such as the ongoing dollar swap operations with European central banks.

By opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and calling for such an audit to be completed by the end of 2010, the H.R. 1207 would achieve much-needed transparency of the Federal Reserve.

Times are tough, and we continue to hear a stream of bad news. But I will continue to stand up for you in Congress and fight for our American traditions, to protect our Liberty and for an Audit of the Federal Reserve.

Thank you again for your support. I could not continue my fight without you.

In Liberty,

Ron

(Note from Delaware Curmudgeon: Mike Castle is one of the co-sponsors of this bill)

Not on the DHS Fringe List Yet? Here's Your Chance !

Bunny up, wussies:

We met up with Fast Fred a few years ago in a little place in Virginia. I still remember that ride through the mountains, floorboards scraping the asphalt around those twists and turns.

And this is what he does.

If you aren't on the DHS list yet, why wait? There's plenty of friends there waiting for you.

Remembering Cpl. Brandon M. Hardy

There is alot of silly news out there. Sometimes I read it and just sigh. It is all so unimportant. All so trivial.

There are other things going on in the world. There are even things going on with your neighbors. They are much more important than the latest political hype or blogosphere war.

On this date in 2006, Corporal Brandon M. Hardy of Cochranville, PA was killed in action in Al Anbar, Iraq.

He was 25 years old.

As I am writing this, I am thinking of my significant other who was honored to be asked to a family gathering this evening in commeration and remembrance of this young man. They will be raising a glass to Brandon.

I can see his parents in their grief and stoic smiles. His mother, so young. His father, thin and strong.

We will ride for Brandon Hardy this year as we have all of the other years. He holds a special place in our hearts.

I cry as I write this. I cry at all the silliness in the world doesn't amount to a hill of beans compared to the sacrifices being made by those who dont complain; who don't snipe and whine.

And I cry for that small family gathering in Cochranville right now.

They will always be in my heart, and Brandon Hardy will never be forgotten.

Corporal Brandon M. Hardy, USMC

3/8/81 - 4/28/2006

When Are You Considered to be Too Much of a Burden?

Jeff Emanuel asks:

WHO SHOULD HAVE CONTROL over your medical care: your family doctor, or a bureaucrat you’ve never met whose sole job is to look out for the government’s financial bottom-line?

That question is being debated in court right now, as three states are currently seeking a ruling from a federal judge that the final say in an individual’s medical treatment lies with the government, not with that patient’s doctor.

This isn't England or Canada. This is right here, right now.

Read the whole thing and be afraid. Very afraid.

Private Sector Offers a Better Tool for Stimulus Tracking

As reported in Government Executive:

The charter for the Obama administration's Recovery.gov Web site is to allow every citizen to monitor the progress of economic stimulus spending. It's an ambitious goal, and one that government might not reach for some time.

But a private sector company boasts it already has created a site that meets the government's objectives.

On March 31, Seattle-based Onvia launched Recovery.org, a site capable of tracking every dollar of federal, state and local Recovery Act spending in real time, according to company officials.
For example, assume you are a resident of Yellowstone, Mont., and want to know how your county is spending its portion of stimulus funding. Through three drop-down menus on Recovery.org's homepage, you could scroll through a pre-solicitation notice for a contract to repair Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, or learn details about a drainage project in the Lockwood area.

On Recovery.gov, you would be directed to Montana's Recovery Act site, and from there, you could spend hours sloshing through tutorials on the state's education and energy projects without ever finding details on spending in your neighborhood.

"We put up Recovery.org to do for the federal government what it is not doing for itself," Onvia Chief Solutions Officer Michael Balsam said

I have to agree. As of this moment, most of the projects in Delaware are Amtrak and DOT-related.

For example, if you go to the Data and Graphs tab , select the State of Delaware and the County of Sussex (all cities), you will see that there are alot of requests for bids for "paving and rehabilitation" projects:

Location 1: Hardscrabble Road from Kaye Road to East Trap Pond
Description of Work: Hot-mix patching and 3 1/2" overlay.

The website is constantly evolving and will be offering more tools for people who really love to crunch the numbers.

For all of you data geeks out there, this is for you.

Quote of the Day and a Note to Bloggers Everywhere, Including Myself

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Citizenship in the Republic"

Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris

April 23, 1910

Breaking News ! IKEA to Buy General Motors !

Support for Gay Marriage: Libertarian Leanings

I've been following the blog Libertarian Leanings for quite some time. I don't comment much; sometimes things just make so much sense there is no need for comment unless you just want to hear yourself talk.

He describes himself as a "New Hampshire Republican with decidedly libertarian leanings". Heh. I can relate to that.

Today I think he had one of his best posts ever on the subject of gay marriage. He says in part:

So, let's get over it people. The fabric of American society will not be harmed because two people of the same gender get married.

It's been my position that the future of the Republican party lies with the libertarians. There are practical advantages to maximizing personal liberty, and often severe disadvantages that arise when we attempt to curtail it.

Later he says:

Log Cabin Republicans are natural allies with the libertarians. Both value personal freedom. It is not a stretch for more gays to gravitate towards the libertarianism once they are comfortable with the idea that they need not rely on the protection of Democrats, who really don't place a high value on personal freedom anyway.

Democrats place a high value on political power, and when liberty threatens their grip on it, liberty becomes a target.

It would be well worth your while to read the post.

Guest Post: TEA Time in South Carolina

(Note: The following was submitted by my nephew Jefferson, who attended the Tax Day Tea Party in Spartanburg, SC. He is a high school senior, and will be attending Clemson University in the fall)



On April 16th 2009 at 6:00PM the famous Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg, South Carolina played home to a TEA party hosted by the local "Young Republicans" organization. This peaceful gathering, like so many others around the country, was full of frustrated American citizens that were rallying for change in today's government spending policies.


Walking to the front of the Beacon, I was greeted by a loud "ask and response" form of protest. The host shouted "And who sent these people to Washington?" and the crowd roared, "We did!", telling us that it is all up to us to fix it now.


The "host", if you will, of the entire evening, introducing speakers and making a few comments of his own, was local radio man Bob Mclain. Mclain broadcasts on the radio-station WORD which also networks for Rush Limbaugh and is a helpful voice for all of the struggling conservatives, including myself, who feel alone in a sea of blind liberals. Well I can guarantee that no one felt alone after that night. With crowds estimated to about 500 or 600 it may be smaller than some of the other TEA parties, but the voice was just as strong.


The specifics of the event that I could find out at beforehand was that it started at 6 and politicians were invited but were not allowed to make speeches or campaign, showing that this was truly a protest of the people, by the people, and for the people. Being buried deep in the south, a few of the speakers were priests, or at least religious, who expressed their views of how we are a "Christian nation". While I did not quite embrace this angle of protest, because I believe that there were plenty of other issues to be mentioned, I did happen to agree with one quote from Bobby Mac that I had heard before, "It is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion."


Bob Mclain was talking to the crowd between speakers and was talking about the gas crisis of the previous summer and said, "And Congress said we can't drill our way out of a gas crisis." and a witty member of the crowd immediately exclaimed, "Yeah but apparently we can spend our way out of debt!"


During a sort of intermission where they changed speakers, they held a contest as to see who had the best sign. I saw such signs as "Spread my work ethic, not my income." and, for all of you "Atlas Shrugged" fans a sign that said, "Final Jeopardy question: Answer: Jefferson, Washington, ME. Jeopardy Question: Who is John Galt?" The finalists included a young boy dressed in Revolutionary era regalia with a sign that said "Don't spend my future!", a kid dressed as a Boy Scout with a sign that read, "I am the terrorist they were telling you about!" and a man with a sign that read, "Save the trees, stop printing money!" The Boy Scout won, the prize being a $25 gift certificate to the Beacon.


In conclusion, this was truly a "grassroots protest". It was just a bunch of random citizens, voicing their opinions, and trying to send a message to their elected officials. As much as people want to tell you different, that it was completely organized and set up by evil businesses, do not listen to them. Go out and experience this for yourself.

Overkill in Maine

Great news !

Portland, Maine is getting two armored personnel carriers to bolster local law enforcement. Some people think it seems to be a "bit much".

But, as William Grigg opines,

They might also come in handy if the PPD ever has to deal with a handful of wound-up college students at a campus dance, as their colleagues did over the weekend at Colby College in Waterville.

You really should read the whole story of that little encounter.

As Grigg concludes, "Yes, Maine is a perfectly safe place to live, as long as you can avoid the police."

This Day in History

Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790.

Quite an interesting fellow.

Ron Paul Sez: Hire Bounty Hunters to Deal With the Pirates !

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to "declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on land and water."

A Letter of Marque was issued by a nation to a privateer or mercenary to act on behalf of that nation for the purpose of retaliating against another nation for some wrong, such as a border incursion or seizure.

Reprisal refers to an act taken by a nation, short of war, to gain redress for an action taken against that nation. For example, seizing a ship in retaliation for a seized ship.

Congressman Ron Paul thinks that would be the best way to deal with the pirate problem. After all, it is in the Constitution. LA Times reports:

The idea, unlike some of Paul's proposals, is actually gaining traction in Congress. The U.S. Navy is too big for the mission, designed to do battle against the navies of other nations, So hiring and training bounty hunters to go after the pirates is, as Political Machine put it, "a classic case of fighting fire with fire."

And why not? Paul explains:


One commentor notes:

Once again, Ron Paul making sense. This would indeed be the most effective strategy against pirates. Sending the Navy is like swinging a sledge hammer to take out flies.

Heh, I like it. Hey, I hear Blackwater is looking for work.

No Big Surprise Here

I am certainly not a finance or economy expert, but it comes as no real surprise to me that despite the massive amount of TARP money doled out to the banks to "stimulate" the economy, the month of February showed a 24% decline in business lending, with similar declines in student, auto, and credit card lending.

While we were told that we needed to spend, spend, spend, in order to revitalize the economy, we obviously aren't doing it. Can you blame us? We have found that our profligate, wasteful ways are part of what caused this problem in the first place.

Most people I know are hunkering down, paying down credit card debt, and even cancelling credit cards altogether.

It is ironic that the very thing needed to simulate the economy is what got us here. We're stuck in a kind of spending intertia, and I don't see how the logjam is going to be opened up any time soon.

h/t HotAir

Welcome to Mississauga - A City with No Debt and a Huge Surplus

It's Official ! Curmudgeon Nephew to be a Clemson Tiger !

It's official ! The Delaware Curmudgeon's nephew, Jefferson, will be attending Clemson University in the fall ! Not only that, he will be part of their famous marching band.

Man, I'm going to have to make an excuse to go to one of the games. I tell ya, I'm a sucker for marching bands.

But, there is a family problem. The Curmudgeon niece is in her first year at the University of South Carolina, an arch rival of Clemson.

My loyalties will be divided. The deciding factor?

Who has the better toga party ?

Best Reasons for a TEA Party

The Washington Post gives it to us in graphic form, informing us that we will be forced to borrow nearly $9.3 trillion over the next decade:

And Heritage analyst Brian Riedl points out:

President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Obama would add another $1 trillion.

President Bush began a string of expensive finan­cial bailouts. President Obama is accelerating that course.

President Bush created a Medicare drug entitle­ment that will cost an estimated $800 billion in its first decade. President Obama has proposed a $634 billion down payment on a new govern­ment health care fund.

President Bush increased federal education spending 58 percent faster than inflation. Presi­dent Obama would double it.

President Bush became the first President to spend 3 percent of GDP on federal antipoverty programs. President Obama has already in­creased this spending by 20 percent.

President Bush tilted the income tax burden more toward upper-income taxpayers. President Obama would continue that trend.

President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt through 2008. Setting aside 2009 (for which Presidents Bush and Obama share responsibility for an additional $2.6 trillion in public debt), President Obama’s budget would add $4.9 trillion in public debt from the beginning of 2010 through 2016.

Previous administrations and Congresses were bad enough with their profligacy. It is only now that the waste has reached such epic proportions that people are waking up to the fact that something has to be done.

So, why not a TEA Party? It's been done before. Only this time, it is not taxation without representation, it is taxation with representation, which makes it all the more insidious.

Go HERE for a TEA Party near you.

Captain Phillips a Hero? Daily Kos says No....

He should of just followed the rules:

The pirates' modus operandi is that they hold the crew, ship, and cargo harmlessly until a lot of money is paid to them. Phillips "heroic" actions put his crew and himself at risk. If he'd done nothing except acquiesce to the pirates' demands, there would have been no risk, just possible discomfort until the extortion money was paid. Instead he put himself and the Seals at grave risk.

I applaud the crew, the Seals, and the military chain of command for their actions. I think Phillips was in error--if not a grandstander, then greatly misguided. Does anyone know what Maersk's orders to Phillips and the other Maersk masters are in a piracy matter? Probably to do nothing to incite trouble and to notify the shipowner and the U.S. Navy. The captain works for the shipowner and must follow those orders. The master who fails to follow the shipowner's orders is guilty of the crime of barratry if a financial injury to the shipowner results.

Possible discomfort. Grandstanding. Do nothing, and there will be no risk.

I guess the writer thinks that Captain Phillips just failed to read that best-seller, "The Pirates' Code of Ethics.

Meh.

On Discourse

I haven’t often been accused of being too proper, but I guess in my heart of hearts I recognize the value of civilized discourse. There is so little of that lately.

DWA says the blogosphere is just a bunch of shit-heads. I tend to agree, and include myself in that at times. There are so many hours of the day. There is only so much thought you can put into a post or comment. Some have more time than others.

But as much as the Delaware blogosphere snips and snipes at each other, I would ask them to take some lessons from some bikers. I’ve had my own ass wiped more than a few times, heh. There ain’t no shit like a biker on your case. I try to take my bumps as well as I can. Even Chainsaw and I disagree on certain issues; we still manage to have dinner together.

Bikers tend to cut each other’s balls off in spite of ourselves. I harken back to about a year or so ago, when I was having a discussion about mandatory cell-phone legislation. I am somewhat half-heartedly against it from a libertarian point of view, but many bikers that I respect and love are adamant about it.

So…….I had some “discussions” off-list with some people. I don’t have what I sent Ray, but here is a little bit of his response:

Madd Ray says:

Now, to the second part of the equation, and I will give you the bottom line, and that is that as of December 2005, 10 percent of American motorists on our highways at any given point in time are actively involved in cell conversation. This comes from the NOPUS data (National Occupant Protection Use Survey, which is a probability based observed data study on cell phone use performed by NHTSA.) Basically they put underpaid poor slobs out on strategically selected intersections around the country and have them count the number of cars that stop at the intersection and count the number who are on their cell phones. Reading through the information is a little bit difficult, because they analyze it in a bunch of different ways for a bunch of different populations. You can go to the actual document, but I will provide a reference which will provide the same analysis I did arriving at the same conclusion: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/41638.html>

And then he says….

If you have any criticisms of the above analysis I would be very pleased to have it criticized by you. Indeed, if I am making any mistakes or if you see that there is some better way to derive the percentages, please don't pull your punches. I need someone smart like you to criticize my thinking process if I am wrong.

Heh. Madd Ray. Gotta love him. I think I have a little bit of a crush on him, but please don’t tell Chainsaw.

I don’t dispute his statistics. I don’t dispute his reasoning. I just have a little bitty thing about government legislating our safety. There ain’t nothin’ dumber than a person driving a car while talking on a cell phohe. I’ll give you that.

My point is that there can be honest disagreements without obnoxious hyperbole. Ray and I did not agree on this issue, but I will tell you something.

We can disagree, and don’t have to call each other dickheads to do it.

That is all.

What Does It Mean to Be Tea Bagged?

YIKES !

With the 400-plus Tax Day Tea Parties that will going on across the nation this Wednesday, there are some who are making a joke about “getting tea bagged”.

I didn’t get it.

So, I asked my authority, Chainsaw.

He told me.

My first question was, “How would you even know that?”.


To all you tea baggers out there….Carry On ! Check for a site in Delaware near you.

From the Inbox: A Mea Culpa is in Order

A little birdie told me via email that Delaware Liberal was not on my blogroll ! I'm not sure how that happened, as it wasn't my intent (or maybe it was at some moment in time, I honestly forget).

So, mea culpa on that, DL. I believe that everyone has a right to be heard, even though I may not agree.

And yes, that includes you.

Check Out the Kustom Car & Bike Show at the Riverfront May 10th

We got this really cool postcard in the mail today for the Kustom Car & Bike Show to be held at the Riverfront on May 10th from noon to 4pm. Sounds like a blast !

We used to go to the Riverfront for the old car shows, but they stopped. It was a nice Sunday afternoon to be had. We met someone there a few years ago who is a good friend to this day....all from just looking at cars.

Admission is free. There will be live music, vendors, and get this:

Adoptable dogs ! Yep, courtesy of Faithful Friends, the "no-kill animal shelter". I wondered how I got on their mailing list. Then I remembered.

I love looking at classic cars and motorcycles. I'm no expert to be sure, but I know what I like. There is even a raffle to win a 2009 Cherry Red Mustang ! At $50 a chance it's a little rich for my blood, but good on the person that wins it !

Sounds like it will be good for kids, too. Anytime there's dogs are around is good for kids. Not sure why that is.

If you can make it, head on down to the Riverfront on May 10th for this event !

Updated: I had an incorrect date in there, dummy. It is now fixed.

How to Spoil a Tea Party

Jack McHugh begins:

The Tea Party movement is a genuine bottom-up. grassroots protest. It’s fueled by angst and rage arising from a feeling of helplessness at the realization that the people have lost control of their government.

What many people don’t recognize yet is the proper target of their rage: a self-serving, self perpetuating, inbred and bipartisan political class.

Read the whole thing.

This isn't about Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. It is about the fact that our government no longer serves the people. The people, indeed, have little effect. It is in the interest of government to keep us all poor and stupid.

Have some fun at a Delaware Tax Day Tea Party this Wednesday.

After that? Time will tell.

Say It Out Loud: We’re (Insert Affiliations and Causes Here) And We’re Proud !

A recent DWA post got me to thinking about how the public is treated by legislators:

Either way, I’m really not enjoying hearing how Alan Muller and Frieda Berryhill were treated by the members of the energy committee in Rep. Kowalko’s absence.

It is not the subject matter, but rather the downright uppitiness and disrespect that is reported to have been displayed that absolutely galls me.

It brought to mind another incident in my recent experience.

You may or may not know that I am a motorcycle activist, and try my best to promote legislation in the interest of motorcyclists and to fight against those laws that would inhibit our freedom. A bill in Illinois was introduced this year to require motorcyclists to wear a helmet. The usual suspects testified for (insurance companies and nanny-staters) and against (bikers) the bill.

Thank goodness that the free state of Illinois defeated this legislation.

But, I happened to notice an article posted in a site called Injury Board Dot Com which bemoaned the failure of the mandatory helmet legislation. It said in part:

This is legislative short sighted pandering to a few motorcycle riders who shouldn’t have any clout with the legislature.

Shouldn’t have any clout with the legislature? Do tell, why not? Why shouldn’t a long-haired, tattooed biker have any less clout than a pin-striped insurance salesman? Pandering? Y’all should know. And as little as I represent the stereotypical biker chick personae, just give me a reason: I’ll show you hardass.

As an aside, the Injury Board Dot Com article is titled: “Illinois Motorcycle Helmets Remain Voluntary”.

Heh. Voluntary. I like that word.

Just like bikers, why shouldn’t Alan Muller and Frieda Berryhill receive any less respect than anyone else ? Why are they not treated with the same deference as any PSEG executive ? Are they not representing an interest in the proceedings that should be given full weight? I have no position on their cause, but I do have a position on their reported treatment.

So maybe Alan Muller, Frieda Berryhill, Mike Matthews, all of the Delaware Libertarians, Nancy Willing, Dana, Hube, Brian, Kilroy, (if I missed people, and I know I did, you know who you are) and many other good folk have something in common with a bunch of raggedy-assed, ageing, cigarette-smoking, hard-lovin’ bikers:

We are here, legislators and special interests. We have our OWN special interests, and you WILL listen to us and you WILL NOT treat us like shit. We may not look like you, career legislators and lobbyists. We may not talk like you. We may have to take time off of work to show up at your meetings where you make all of our decisions for us.

But believe you me, ladies and gentlemen, we WILL be heard.

Say it out loud: We are (Insert Affiliations and Causes Here) and we’re proud.

That is all.

On "Defense of Marriage" Legislation

I was glad that recent legislation in Delaware to define marriage as only between a man and a woman did not pass, however unlike some I experienced no malicious glee with its defeat. There are many across the blogosphere whom I have a great respect for who were ardently in favor of it, and in their heart of hearts think it would have been the right thing. I have read their reasoning with some interest, and though I do not agree I think that in the majority of cases they do not espouse their views with malevolence.

With the recent court decision in Iowa and legislative action in Vermont, the hoo-rahs across the gay rights community and those that support them have demonstrated an obnoxiously fevered pitch. Although I support gay rights, I am somewhat embarrassed by the tone of such exhortations.

I would caution those who display exaggerated revelry and impudent righteousness to recall that the courts and the legislatures are fickle beings. Read your history and you will know. The Supreme Court over the last two centuries has overruled itself on many occasions, and we all know that laws can be written and subsequently overturned.

Recent decisions in no way validate your view with any authority. It is a sign of the times, and times can change.

Gloat if you must, but it is very unseemly. There is no need to spew venom. People have a right to their opinions and beliefs. My problem is with those that would impose their beliefs upon others, and both sides of the issue are guilty of that.

Whether your God is the Holy Trinity, Buddha, the flying spaghetti monster, something in between, or nothing at all, there is no one who can say with any religious, legal, or intellectual certitude that they are “right” in the absolute sense of the word. The Supreme Court of Iowa and the legislature of Vermont have no more authority than a little girl at her first Communion, an agnostic handyman, or an atheist professor. It is what is in the heart that speaks to me, and we should be admonished to listen and try to understand, even if we may not agree.

Our century, indeed our millennium is but a pimple on the ass of time.

So take care with those with whom you disagree. Their progeny may have the law and other forces on their side in time, and it would behoove us all to have a greater understanding of each other.

G-20 Summit An Amazing Success !

HB 110 - Prevailing Wage

Representative Daniel Short has introduced House Bill 110, "An Act to amend Title 29 of the Delaware Code relating to a pilot program exempting Delaware public schools from prevailing wage requirements":

Section 1. Amend Chapter 69, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by inserting a new Section to read as follows: “§ 6967. Delaware Public School Prevailing Wage Exemption Pilot Program. (a) Delaware public schools shall be exempted from the provisions of § 6960 of this Title for a period of four (4) years. (b) The Department of Education along with the Department of Labor shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to include cost savings, building quality and overall impact on construction wages in Delaware and shall report preliminary findings by January 1, 2013 and a final report by July 1, 2013 to the Secretary of Education, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Office of Management and Budget, Controller General’s Office and Chairpersons for the Joint Finance Committees.”. SYNOPSIS By exempting Delaware public schools from prevailing wage rates, the State could save approximately $15-30 million annually. There is a four (4) year exemption so the exemption can be properly evaluated to see the actual effect on the State budget and wage rates of construction workers.

I would love to see some public debate on this with all stakeholders, however I fear it will die an untimely death in the House Labor Committee.

Your Car Warranty Now Backed by the U.S. of A !

Now that the government is backing GM and Chrysler warranties, it is no-problema time ! (1:00)



h/t Reason

Delaware Tax Day Tea Party Organizers on WGMD Tomorrow

Two of the Delaware Tax Day Tea Party organizers will be interviewed on the Dan Gaffney Show on WGMD tomorrow, 4/2/2009, between 8 and 9 A.M.

They will talk not only about the parties being organized in Delaware, but those taking place across the nation in every state on April 15th.

Take a listen !

For more information on Delaware Tax Day Tea Parties, go to the Delaware website.

For Eminent Domain Junkies

I feel that I have an emotional investment in the eminent domain bill that was recently passed by the Senate and is currently under consideration by the House Administration Committee. I was at Legislative Hall on the last disappointing day of the session last year, and along with other proponents of the legislation, was severely disappointed when the Governor’s veto was not overturned. I keep in contact with one of the driving forces behind the bill, Ed Osborne. His tenacity and courage serve as an example to anyone who would deign call themselves a citizen-activist. Meh, I’m a mere “citizen whiner” compared to him.

I came across a recent article by Ilya Soman, Assistant Professor at George Mason University School of Law which is to be published in a forthcoming issue of Minnesota Law Review. The article is entitled “The Limits of Backlash: Assessing the Political Response to Kelo”. Many states enacted eminent domain legislation as a result of the Kelo decision; Mr. Soman maintains that “most of the newly enacted post-Kelo reform laws are likely to be ineffective.”

He specifically notes that Delaware’s legislative response (and our existing law) is “ineffective”:

The Delaware bill is arguably the least effective of all the post-Kelo laws enacted so far. It does not restrict condemnations for economic development at all. The statute requires merely that the power of eminent domain only be exercised for “the purposes of a recognized public use as described at least 6 months in advance of the institution of condemnation proceedings: (i) in a certified planning document, (ii) at a public hearing held specifically to address the acquisition, or (iii) in a published report of the acquiring agency.”136 This bill does little more than restate current constitutional law, which already requires that condemnation be for a “recognized public use.” Indeed, the Kelo majority notes that “‘purely private taking[s]’” are constitutionally forbidden.137 The real question, however, is what counts as a “recognized public use,” and this issue is in no way addressed by the new Delaware law. The requirement that the purpose of the condemnation be announced six months in advance provides a minor procedural protection for property owners, but one that can easily be circumvented simply by tucking away the required announcement in a “published report of the acquiring agency.”

Soman attributes a large part of the ineffectiveness of post-Kelo eminent domain legislation on political ignorance:

Finally, it is possible that voters could learn about the effectiveness or lack thereof of post-Kelo laws by relying on the statements of interest groups and other “opinion leaders” who have incentives to be better informed than ordinary citizens. However, as I have argued at greater length elsewhere, reliance on opinion leaders itself requires considerable knowledge, including the knowledge needed to select opinion leaders to follow who are both knowledgeable and reliable. Moreover, the ways in which the Kelo issue cuts across traditional party and ideological lines makes it more difficult for voters to identify opinion leaders to follow based on traditional political cues, such as partisan or ideological affiliation. In addition, the failure of the opinion leader “information shortcut” to alleviate ignorance on less complex and more important issues than post-Kelo reform suggests that it will be of only limited utility in this case. Most important of all, the widespread ignorance revealed in the Saint Index survey shows that most citizens either did not acquire relevant information from opinion leaders or obtained information that turned out to be misleading about the true effectiveness of reform laws in their states.

It is well worth downloading the 71-page article and reading the whole thing.

Indeed, I have to say that I am not comfortable with the amendments that have been introduced to Senate Bill 7, but due to time constraints and other responsibilities it is difficult for one to take the time to do an adequate assessment. In my mind, the use of eminent domain would only be allowed (and with just compensation) for instances involving public safety.

But that’s just me. I’m hard-headed about property rights that way.

Understanding that compromise may sometimes be necessary, I have to accept that if people more knowledgeable than myself about the issue support the currently legislation as amended, then I will have to accept their judgment. These pesky amendments nag at me, though. They are like little gnats that irritate you and you keep swatting at them furiously but they keep on coming back as bits of nagging uneasiness that you can’t quite put your finger on. Something about it just doesn’t seem right.

On issues of such importance as eminent domain, we should all do our best to keep ourselves as informed as possible lest legislation is enacted that either has no effectiveness at all, or else puts the burden of proof upon the very people it would proclaim to be protecting. The little guy doesn’t always have the resources to put up the good fight, and it is those people that are most at risk.

Please, tread carefully, good legislature.